Here’s a hot take: the history of a watch or watch brand doesn’t matter nearly as much as current build quality or value for money. A new watch with a rich brand history shouldn’t be the reason for a high price when the quality can be matched or beaten by a much cheaper watch
I don’t disagree with this. History is important but it doesn’t mean nearly as much if the modern product doesn’t uphold what made that history noteworthy in the first place.
I think we have lost our collective minds with watches. We all want a perfect size, long lasting Lume, on the fly adjustments, tapered bracelet. We want name recognition. We want 3xs resale value and COSC accuracy. We want a strap monster with an integrated bracelet. And if course, we want all that for under $1000.
I recently started wearing a watch again so I could keep my phone in my pocket. Generally, when I'm out in public what I want to know is what time it is. If I'm out to have a meal with friends my phone stays in my pocket because I don't like the whole move toward everybody talking on their phones while they're in front of you and not paying attention to you. So wearing a watch reminds me of how things used to be in my pledge to do my best to not be one of the many and keep my phone in my pocket unless there's something I actually need it for
Teddy has a very healthy attitude toward watches. It is supposed to be a fun hobby, but we sometimes obsess about certain things (like clasps, plexi, casebacks, etc.) that in the grand scheme of life, are just not all that important. Thanks for this episode. Cheers!
@octodeciliionaire9438 if you're curious you can go to time.gov and it'll show you the time in different US time zones, and it compensates for the ping between your device and the time server.
I have my grandpa’s Bulova that he had during WWII. He went to Iwo Jima with it. Before he was shipped out, he swapped his old one out for the Bulova from his dad. The reason was because he didn’t want the lume on his old one to glow in the dark and be visible to the enemy. So you never know, maybe having no lume saved his life.
Its funny you should say that, whenever I see a military watch, super rugged indestructible with lume, I always think to myself. "Yeah the sniper saw him because he saw the lume on his watch"
That's interesting. At the time, Bulova was marketing 'service watches', which were some of it's regular models with radioactive lume added to the dial. I'm sure they glowed bright as day! The alternative was using a match or flashlight to look at the watch, a much more dangerous option. But it was his life, and his decision.
Good point. A number of years ago I had a discussion about watches with a former member of the SAS. He had been in active service during what was called ‘the Malayan Emergency.’ This was a British version of Vietnam - except that we won. Anyway, he told me that he, an officer, had a Rolex. However, he arranged with a watchmaker to remove all of the luminous material from the dial, especially the hands. When, shocked, I asked him “why?” He said that not to have done so would have made him ‘sniper food’ in the jungle at night.
I’m just sitting here waiting for the second hands to reach 12 to synchronize my watch with the automic clock mumbling to myself “Teddy…pffff what does he know.” 😂
It's not the only purpose. Watches tell time. Yes our smartphones tell the time too but what if the battery dies. What if you get lost? What if nuclear war breaks out. Without a watch you won't know what time it is. lol
Accuraxy: the functional reason why I wear a watch. I hate looking at my phone! Is the phone accurate, yes. Does the phone make me happy to look at it? NO!
There isn't a single thing I do in my life where a few seconds of accuracy will make any difference at all, and I'd argue it's no different for the vast majority of the population. Are there a small group of people to truly do need extreme accuracy? Sure.
@@bsmithhammer I totally agree with you, but understand the other side. Watches are largely optional, and often valued as precision-made devices. If you enjoy the idea of precise little machines, accuracy is a part of that.
@@bigwilliearmitage For sure. I can definitely understand both sides - I can really appreciate precision (like my Seamaster 300, for example). It's just that I can also be honest with myself that it isn't a 'life or death' necessity.
Okay: - I work in the military, and part of my job involves working in zones where, for security purposes, personal transmitting devices aren’t allowed. This includes smartphones and smart watches. Thus, I wear either dumb quartz or mechanical watches for work. I will agree that to-the-second accuracy isn’t strictly speaking necessary; for watches than run a few seconds slow I usually set one minute ahead, and reset every few days. - For the longest time, whenever I travelled, I preferred my watch to have lume so I could read it in low-light conditions. This past spring when I went to Scotland I tried wearing a dress watch with no lume for travel. To my surprise I found I didn’t miss it. I may have to try that more often. - I have had occasion to use a chronograph function for timing events. While I’ve timed bicycle rides with an analog chronograph, I’ve found that I prefer a digital display for recording those times, because I comprehend the numbers quicker. - For me, “on-the-fly-wrist-adjustment” has always meant straps instead of bracelets.
Nice one mate! I recently bought a vintage, dressy Soviet watch in Poland that's about 5-10min slow per day, but somehow, for some perverse reason, it's part of its charm. What surprised me on a practical level, is that even 10min off per day makes minimal difference if the watch is only worn for a couple of hours in the evening.
Its funny because outside of spy/info work, no one who actually uses watches pragmatically ever has these super expensive prestige watches on, they are just impractical.
Couldn't agree more on the case backs and lume. Lume nearly never works as intended, and I much prefer a closed case back with nice engravings or decoration to looking at a mediocre finish on a not-so-exciting seiko/miyota/eta movement, especially when that view case back adds bulk to a watch. My closed back watches wear much better
@@henrywolf8618Same! When I picked mine up, I had almost been conditioned to dislike it. Now after a year in, it might be my most worn watch. I even like the velcro strap. Comfort wise, it can’t be beat. And I know it’s because of the hype around it in the past, but I get more comments on it than all my other more expensive ones combined.
I'm a millennial, but smartphones and smart watches are too slow, need charge, and not always within reach. No phones in the classroom (I'm a teacher) and the clocks aren't always reliable. Also, avid biker, so I ain't fiddling with a phone or squinting at a dim screen in sunlight while dodging traffic. Nah, a good 'ol mechanical watch still just can't be beat in 2024.
Your phone keeps accurate time, your watch will gain/lose time through the weeks and months. At some point you'll have to readjust the watch to accurate time again, not so much with a phone.
@@vsevo dealing with german railway system is an open wound that will never heal. 1 week ago my train just got canceld because of a damaged door. one damaged door. cost me 2 fucking hours. but public transport in Hamburg is on time for the most part.
I am from an older generation, so I do rely on my watch for accuracy and legibility at night to tell me the time. The phone is not second nature to me.
I think things like accuracy are being addressed by some manufacturers. Seikos spring drive, while out of reach financially is a great example. Hybridization can straddle both sides of the argument by providing high accuracy and the old school mechanical beauty and nostalgia we love. Bulova and their precisionist quartz movement provides a smoother sweep of seconds hand than an auto, and is accurate to +/-10 a year. There are options to satisfy all.
The most frustrating type of caseback: a display caseback with printing that removes the ability to customise but also obscures the movement. Looking at you GS
Other than the lume part , i kinda agree, I am sorry but my old school kid kicks in when i see my watch glowing beautifully in the dark . I often show it to my friends because other than the molecules in the material , i get excited too.
I wear contacts and take them out at night, which makes lumed faces difficult to read, which is why a digital clock with bright numerals lives on my bedside. Now if I suddenly need to read the time in a dark clothes closet during the day, I suppose lume might be useful. That said, I do have a Tissot dive watch with fat sword hands that I can read at night if I have to, but the rest of the collection generally fails the test, and that includes several good quality dive watches that cost a good deal more than the Tissot..
@@seayak I am kinda curious about dive watches costing more than Tissot and having an underwhelming lume quality , could you spell some names here(so the rest of the buyers are cautious) because I have had watches with incredible lume under 350 USD.
@@Wayne-q1v6l not married yet but my friends love the lume on my watches , and even when I go to any outdoor activities, I make sure to charge my lume and people tend to call that out as it shines even after a few hours , so yes , I guess hi 5 mate.
Shortly after getting into watches I learned that not only are acrylic crystals tougher (not stronger... learn the difference guys) but can be buffed out with polywatch... I wish all my watches had acrylic. This is because I am the complete polar opposite of teddy lol I work with my hands, I time things multiple times daily, I also work in very low light every night. But I also agree with teddy... watches are an expression too. I'm a craftsman, always have been, I'm proud of that, so I like my watches to reflect that.
I completely agree with Teddy regarding almost everything he said. I especially despise exhibition casebacks. I disagree about lume not because it's particularly useful but because I enjoy the luminous effect visually.
I happen to like the exhibition case backs. I have it on my Omega Speedmaster and my Panerai 111. I have a dozen other. watches that are closed case backs. I just like having different things in my collection. I bought my green 50th anniversary submariner because everybody I knew had a black one. I also went grand Seiko because I did not know anybody with one.
For me accuracy is very important (well, I’m a guy who set time on my watches every morning to make sure that it’s accurate down to a seconds). I don’t care about the position of date window though, as long as it has one then I’m okay (not having a date window is a deal breaker for me nonetheless, I use date windows on my watch on regular basis).
lol im that guy who waits for the second hand to hit 12. why would you want the minute hand to align to the marker at a random second and not at zero?!
My personal hot takes: - Lume does matter but it depends on the watch. How often are you going to find yourself in pitch darkness wearing your Nomos Tangente? - Transparent caseback or bust. I didn't spend over $7k on a watch to NOT see cool stuff inside. - A manual wound movement needs to be top tier to get a purchase from me. I bought a fancy automatic watch winder and you'd better believe I'm gonna use it. 😅
Not hottakes at all, complete milk toast as the kids say, and I'm here for all of your opinions! It was amusing watching Teddy trying to justify this position based on not being able to engrave and immediately made logically inconsistent arguments with the snoopy caseback xD.
@@suspicioustumbleweed4760 I have no debt and haven't for many years, which affords me the disposable income to pursue various hobbies, such as horology.
1. 100% agree on Lume. Unless I’m trapped in a dark elevator, I’ll never ever need Lume. 2. And I totally agree on accuracy. With a 21-piece collection, almost none of mine are accurate all the time. Besides 3-4 daily drivers, when I pull a watch to wear, I always always have to wind, reset time, reset date, then I’m good to go for the day. And I prolly won’t see that lovely again for 2 weeks. 3. I actually do love an open caseback, because in the wild, the open caseback is still unique. The movement, the operation, the spinning parts are still interesting for the masses. 4. As a bigger guy, bracelet adjustment is a big deal. We swell a lot during summer days, dehydrated vs hydrated, sweat, etc etc. I’m truly drawn to on-the-fly adjustments. It truly makes a difference. 5. Another Take is that waterproofing is SO overrated on luxury watches. I’m a veteran (over 100 dives) diver, I’ve never ever seen a luxury watch on a dive. We all have “dive computers,” not watches. And I’d never wear my Submariner or any other “dive watch” into the water.
Well I mean wrist watches are literally useless in this age. Just buy a smart watch 😂. Teddy cares about watches because he likes the history, style, and romanticism. Along with being able to pass it down as a piece of jewelry I believe.
Teddy, you crack me up. Halfway thru, I was half-expecting you to say, “I sometimes don’t care that my watch is running!” Accuracy, I agree. Younger days, I kept chasing accuracy. Once I got there with a selection of watches, rotating what I wear, “close enough is good enough”. I will say extended power reserve is nice. “Hey, that’s still running, I’ll wear that.”
I just want a watch that fits my style & personality. I LOVE watches, but I’m certainly no expert on the subject. I do love lume on watches, but certainly not something I need. I’ll take my Speedmaster over a watch that Lumes any day.
Teddy, I really appreciate your attention to detail and approach to your videos. I am just over 50 years old and have to wear reading glasses. What is important for me is to be able to look at my watch (without my reading glasses) and be able to tell the time. I find that watches that are not as busy (ex. a chronograph) is easier for me to quickly tell the time. Another major point for me is to be able to tell time WITHOUT looking at my phone. Keep up the great work!
If I wanted to have to pull out and return my cellphone when I want to know the time, maybe I’d buy a pocket watch. People stopped buying pocket watches and replaced them with wristwatches for a reason.
When it comes to date windows, more important to me is that it is large enough to read rather than placement. Bucherer Bicompax is large enough. Marathon GSAR is a challenge to read.
I do look at my watch constantly to see what time it is, and I also often check the day of the month. That's why I wear a watch on my wrist and not a phone.
Just buy a smart watch the , no? Idk I check the time on my phone most of the time because I'm always checking my phone for other reasons. The wrist watch is just a style/ romantic type of piece for an outfit at this point
1. Lume: If it's gonna be on, it shouldn't be terrible. At least it should be decent and even. A good example of when I don't want lume are on watches like Grand Seiko (excluding the sports models). 2. Hot take #1: Odd lug widths are fine if it keeps the proportions of the watch "right". 3. Hot take #2: A superior quartz (think GS 8J/9F) over entry-level Japanese quartz (think NH3x series) always.
Watches aren't just for style, they're also just so convenient compared to pulling a brick out of your pocket. I find them really helpful when I'm out and about because having the time on my wrist is so much easier than pulling my phone out.
We disagree on accuracy and that’s completely ok. Finding the most accuracy for the money fit in a watch that meets my style and composition requirements is the juice for me. As you’ve said before Teddy, collecting is a long game. Finding what you will be most happy with that will last you decades can and should go as far and as detailed as you what it to be.
@@EricKyriazis 100% I split the different and daily a Chronomaster. Nearly perfect accuracy, perpetual clock (outside of DST in the states), solar powered, and high end build quality/finishing, and basically no servicing costs. Caring about auto-accuracy to a massive degree has always been oxymoronic to me.
@@EricKyriazis This is probably the best answer to the people claiming to care about accuracy, if they value accuracy so much just use a phone or a cheap casio. I like casio, I think casio is fun, and it's a perfectly good choice if you just want an affordable thing to tell the time.
Spring Drive power meter should be the on back, and the description or specifications don't need to be on the front; I don't need Automatic or Spring Drive or 300m written on the front. These remind me of car companies advertising engine size, EFI, hybrid, or anything else when the driver knows. It just clutters dial.
Teddy you really p*ss me off... I've been watching your presentations for years! My feeling is that accuracy, lume, durability and water resistance are hyper-important, perhaps not so for every piece in a collection, but most people need tool watches. I got more interested in watches after wearing the same speedy automatic reduit for 20 years and started wondering what else I could get my hands on that might be lighter with other features. Most of the watches I have I can wear daily and they tell me the time at all times of the day, in the shower, in bed, in a tent, in the water, hiking a trail friday night for a weekend backpacking getaway... I rely on some of my watches as tools... what they are: they tell me the f'in time, and I can even use them to calculate geographic north if I can see the sun!!! Grr.
Hot take: watches from big brands are often boring and lazy designs. I imagine for example Rolex' design department being one guy just phoning it in: "This year: same watch, different color." and the watch world laps it up. Same for Omega: "This year, limited edition Speedmaster professional. Also, a 007-themed Seamaster." and the watch world oooohs and aaaahs.
I mean there’s a reason we also like small upgrades. I want a mix of small improvements or 007 style marketing AND crazy new stuff. You can’t make wild new watches every year and expect to stay in business.
I hate to say this but ' timeless' design/ beautiy ( golsen rari , etc..) probably feeds into the,'if ain't broke..'. Also, people may dream about such watches & then when attainable want the same design & upgrade specs.. Apropos: drilled lugs ( with even lug widths) on most non dress watches ( less need for q.r. spring bars).
I generally agree, but the hot take against microadjustment is a bit ridiculous. Yes, let me carry my spring bar tool with me on a hot summer day, so 5 hours in I can stop my bracelet from cutting off my circulation. Dont make excuses for watch manufactures, AT MINIMUM they should use quick release spring bars in the clasp so you can manually change the size of the bracelet. I know Nomos does this, but I have no clue why other manufactures dont do this, such an easy fix.
As I mentioned in the video, I prefer having micro adjustment over not having it. There are just some drawbacks that come with an on the fly system that aren’t always talked about. Usually with adding bulk to the clasp or taking away from the more elegance appearance.
If your wrist is swelling enough to require a 5mm+ adjustment during the day, you need to get the doctor ASAP. It’s weird how microadjust didn’t matter until a few years ago lol people did just fine for the 100 years prior
@@TeddyBaldassarre For watch manufacturers that already drill multiple anchor points in their clasp, there is zero reason why they can’t use quick release spring bars to modify the anchor point on the fly. Why are we defending laziness??
@@Doggo-frencton No it it's normal depending on your wrist size and climate. If you have a smaller wrist size you might not notice this but as someone that's been wearing watches since he was 15, and has large wrists, I assure you it's completely normal to swell this much as a healthy individual.
My personal hot take is the lack of scratch proof coatings on almost all Swiss watches. Citizen, Zelos and others offer hardened surfaces on some of their watches and they work very well. Some people think scratches give character to a watch but, personally I hate getting scratches on my watches.
I get that most people don't actually use lume. I'm one of those weirdos who sleeps wearing a watch... and if I wake up at any point during the night, my Railmaster's lume lets me check the time. I enjoy that :) Since I don't really take it off, I don't need an exhibition caseback. Actually, I appreciate the Hippocampus. I also like that my watch is "dumb"; it's a back-up tool for me as a pilot, as well as something I aesthetically enjoy. I mean, a really unnecessary back-up, given the redundancies available in most aircraft and accompanying devices! Our miles all vary. It'd be boring, otherwise.
Some fantastic discussions here, Teddy. As a vintage Accutron collector I'm in complete agreement with you regarding crystals, lume, and casebacks. Your points about casebacks reminded me of the Citizen Hisonic I own which has a wonderful gold colored medallion.
Accuracy matters when it's supposed to be cosc and its running +8 spd. I just bought my first luxury watch, a black bay 58, and right out of the box it gained 7 seconds a day for the first two days and today on the third day it gained another 10 seconds. What makes it even worse is that I have a Hamilton and a Tissot that cost a fraction of the price and have much better accuracy. The both run on average +2 or 3 seconds a day. I realize I may have gotten really lucky with those watches, but I expected more from my first cosc certified watch. I'm bummed
Very unfortunate to hear i own mostly all alpinist models with compss bezel and without it bay alp. etc. and also tissot prx and they run very accurately
@lihaniska87 isn't that interesting? Even my SKX is keeping better time than my new Tudor. I've read online that a new watch might have a bit of a break in period, but still.. you drop 4 grand on a watch you expect it to blow everything else out of the water. Instead it's had the worst accuracy of all my mechanical watches and they're all sub $1,000 watches
I totally agree. I have a $2000 Orient Star which is a frustrating +15 SPD. Whereas my cheap citizen miyota 8200 is half a second a day slow. Seems accuracy is often down to luck.
As a teacher on a bell schedule, I like to have accuracy down to the second. For me, hacking is a must, and the longer the watch can stay accurate the better.
Those of us who attend a lot of virtual meetings find this important, too. I want to join my meetings exactly on time, not 45 seconds early or late. That accuracy and punctuality is noticed by others.
@@jim.anchower Same deal here. I take breaks away from the computer without the phone. I want to join meetings on the exact second they start if possible.
@@richardhilton77 I had to google how to get the system tray clock to show seconds but it can be done. Thanks - I can get rid of these damn watches now.
I think people like Teddy forget that there are people like us who actually *need* our watch to be accurate, and no, we don't want to "uhh just use your phone".
An exhibition case back is the best option as it helps you determine when it is time for a service. If you can see the oiling in the balance jewel and it looks good (covers at least 50 % of the surface of the cap jewel) and the watch is running fine and winding correctly with the automatic, just keep wearing it until the oil looks like it has depleted somewhat, amplitude starts to drop, or the rotor starts spinning when you hand-wind (sign the reversers need servicing). If a watch has been properly cleaned and serviced to it really should run 10 years without issue.
You are correct, i've been saying the same. obsession with automatic accuracy on an affordable watch is ridiculous when they are all inaccurate compared to quartz/synced
I love how you covered it in the beginning but it bears repeating. Watch collecting is a personal pursuit. It should be based on personal experience. My timex crystal got scratched to dog 💩 within a week. I love the indigo but if I can't see it for the scratches it don't do a lick of good. My boderry was nice and scratch resistant but not the easiest to read. Then I tried the loreo submariner homage to get some idea what the fuss was about and you know what, I love wearing a bracelet which shocked me but now I'm ordering the bracelet for my voyager. The first time I saw the sweeping seconds hand I knew I was a mechanical guy, the first time I had to reset a mechanical after not wearing it for a week I knew I was a quartz guy. I love the sound the bezel makes but if I'm actually timing something I use my phone because that's how I'm conditioned. Right now my grail watch is the RGM "COE" for it's made in America heritage and it's similarity to a pocket watch but the price is out of reach. The beauty of this hobby is I can experiment with my taste on the less expensive end of the scale and as I refine my taste I can I can choose what aspects of watch collecting are worth spending my money on. Another aspect I enjoy is discussing watches that people are wearing. The trick is that there's enough to this hobby so people who come from different angles can all find something to enjoy. I may through a friendly jab sometimes because I'm gen x and we are capable of enjoying each other's fake pain as we pretend for a second we actually care then proceed to criticize each other's insults looking for a way to improve them. If there's kids reading this don't worry it's OK that you don't understand, it was a different time back then.
I don't disagree with any of these. As for chronographs, they are good for me for 60 seconds, after that I can't read the subdials. Where I do disagree... a watch guy that goes to his phone to read the time?
I agree that micro adjust can get a bit out of hand. It’s nice to have on the fly up to the size of a link for quick adjustment. But the bulkiness of the clasp gets in the way of its more than that. My hot take is on water resistance. I don’t care if a watch has 200 meter water resistance. I don’t dive and I don’t get myself in a situation where I am accidentally swimming. There are bigger issues if that happens. As long as I can wash my hands and wash the dishes, I’m fine with the water resistance
@@sharpe8888 I wear my good lume watches to bed be they dive, flieger, GADA, EDC or field so I can see the time when I wake up in the night. I have many with lume that lasts all night.
I think dive watches are popular because they have the mix of characteristics you actually benefit from having in an everyday watch: easy legibility, the ability to time something, robustness/water resistance, and for me personally (I know this one's controversial, the date). I use the bezel to time things while cooking or during work almost every day of the week.
i do agree that most of them look the same , i have a couple of them , i use them as chronographs to time thing. I am not saying they look the same , but i guess they kinda look the same.
Teddy, accuracy is actually important when wearing your watch over many days. The more accurate it is the less often you'll have to set your watch. That's one thing I'll give the Omega METAS certification. Since Omega's watches only gain time, all you need to do is pull the crown out and wait for the seconds hand to match the world time again instead of setting the entire watch if it starts to lose time.
Love the vid and appreciate your honest/realistic approach. One point about accuracy that I feel you missed is that most of us have multiple watches and if your automatic watch is off 10-20 sec/day and you wear it for 100 days straight then that’s a problem but most of us wear a watch for a day or a few then change watches and then resetting of the watch when you put it on next time is part of the enjoyment/interaction/connection with a mechanical watch. So close is good enough, I love your approach
I’m stunned . I actually agreed with everything . I was all about sapphire until your explanation . I may be the oddball , but I prefer a butterfly clasp. Don’t really care about micro adjustment . I size my bracelets snug , then add an extra link . Seems to work great for me . I was in the line bandwagon for a while , but unless it’s tritium , it doesn’t last long enough to make a difference .
Do you live in a cave? I have many watches with lume that easily lasts all night. After that it gets light so I don't need tritium to glow forever. Lume that lasts all night is just as useful as tritium.
I disagree with you on most of these points, most particularly those concerning the practicality of a watch: I rely on my watch to tell me the correct time and date (no, I don't verify it with my phone), so if my watch is off then I'm late to an appointment or miss it altogether, if the date is incorrect then I will fill out a document incorrectly, ergo I *need* the watch to function correctly and with a high degree of precision. Yes, accuracy matters, yes I *need* a date complication, yes I do actually use the lume.
Yep, I 100% agree with you. I use my watch during conferences where it is not appropriate to use a phone to look at the time. And most of the time I need to know exact timestamps for things to happen. So yes, I do need precision, my watch is a tool for that
What do you mean you "disagree". You need your watch for time, he does not. You can't force your 19th century ways on others and no one is telling you not to like what you like. Not sure what cave you live in to need lume anyway.
The way I audibly laughed out loud when you started with “some people were freaking out in the comments about my lume remarks” and then villain-heel-turned to “which got me thinking… what other kind of shit can I start today?” 😂 unreal stuff. Love this kind of content and most importantly, love seeing someone who grew up right down the road from me carving his own path. Keep it up!
Great video, Teddy. I think you've done a solid job of establishing yourself as one of the few UA-cam guy with opinions who is also fair in reviews. This "hot take" video is fun but I see the possibility of it degrading into a means for people to start arguing. I personally would love to see more videos like your visits to Glashutte, Oris, Grand Seiko, and Blancpain. I realize these are much more expensive to produce than you sitting in front of the camera, but those are really great work.
I have resisted getting a chronograph or a GMT since I wouldn't use those features much at all, yet it seems like all watch people have one or more of them. How often do chonograph owners actually use that function?
I use my office gmt (CW)more than my traveller gmt (seiko)...I use it to track the local time of major sporting events around the world, also my daughter travels regularly, so its great for keeping track of her time zone..and I consider both types of GMTs as true..
Teddy, One of your best UA-cam videos ever. Most of the very best watches in my collection either have no lume or very little. A vintage Omega, a Tissot dress watch, a dressy Seiko, an older Mido GMT, and a Lip watch, still made in France. All these are my favorites and I really don't notice that the lume is missing.
I was team sapphire until I realized my only watch with a scratch is sapphire. I think the points made are why we have different watches. I do have one that is atomic synced, and I use that for work. But outside of work, day-to-day I wear a Seiko 5 that I only want to be roughly minute-accurate. This all amounts to right tool for the job concept.
OMG...such a matter of preference. Good takes on interesting topics. 1. I love sapphire with anti reflective coating. I had Hamiltons that were hard to read because of excessive reflectance. So make sure you have the coating. The clarity of sapphire is incredible and I dont have to deal with those darn scratches....ugh. Do you like to drive with a messy windshileld,?....same idea. 2. Lume is so cool. I'm in the dark at night watching TV and being able to read the time has value for me. 3. Accuracy...nice to have but if you change watches daily, you are resetting all the time. 4. I agree about casebacks. Don't really care. I'm not buying based on whether the watch has one or not. 5. Nice to have microadjustments, but I generally have no problems with bands. I have found $30 bracelets that seems really nice. 6. I really like the dates. Everyday I need to check the day. So convenient to be on the watch. Agree with the idea that daters dont have to be in a specific spot. 7. Yeah chronographs have modest utility and rarely. They are complicated to maintain the individual dials....some tricks that differ among different watches to reset them. For quartz, everytime you change the battery, you have to figure out how to rest them. And lots of people don't really know how to use them. Thanks for cool video.
I agree wholeheartedly. Thanks Teddy for your honesty and bravery in stating these Hot Takes. Potential ruffled feathers be damned. Lol I too have been guilty of getting hung up on some of these must haves in the past. I'm at a stage now in my collecting that I can find that it's ok to let go of these barriers to entry for pieces that I may love otherwise. For example, half of my 10 piece collection are chronograph, but now I'm finding now that I prefer a less busy dial and less bulky case opting for a more comfortable watch and steering away from the chrono's for something less complicated. My current target is that I'm looking for a clean dial with large hands and numerals versus indices. A date window is not a dealbreaker either way. Here's another example of a watch that I really loved but I got hung up on symmetry....the Cartier Santos. I was so close to pulling the trigger until I noticed all of the slotted screws that are around the perimeter of the case and on the bracelet are in random directions and haphazard. Once I got that stuck in my head I decided this would drive me crazy wearing it. Maybe with a new perspective on some Hot Takes I might come back to that piece again. Thanks
A watch that runs fast is less annoying to correct than a slow watch, though. I just hack the seconds for as long as needed to correct it (and usually over-correct a bit).
Great video. I replayed segments several times to admire and appreciate some of the featured watches. I do value accuracy and will often wait to synchronize an automatic to the second before heading out for the day, so hacking is a feature I expect. Other times I won’t set it at all and just be happy I’ve reached the right aesthetic for tonight’s dinner. I’m starting to care a little less about self-winding movements. Love them, but never wear the same watch enough for it to matter long-term and the rotor can interfere with the beauty of the movement, when I get those rare moments to appreciate it. Exhibition case-back in a watch with a premium movement is usually a must have for me. There are always executions for the right watch! One last thought, while I’m usually indifferent to the placement of the date window, the placement of the date inside the hour sub-dial of that Navitimer, well that’s just scandalous!!! Lol 😂
Another hot take is when ppl wear their watch on the wrist bone. Like, it can't be comfortable to have the crown digging into your wrist everytime you bend your hand back.
@@tmonique11 Its like they don't know it can be sized. I seen one guy the other day and his watch soo loose it was swinging up half is arm. A terrible look
I certainly do, I swing dance as a hobby and taking out my cell phone to tell the time just isn't practical. Plus, I get to wear a cool watch to match my vintage outfit, wearing a 20s watch to an art deco venue built in the 20s is the way to go!
Chill, guys. A watch, as the frames of your glasses it’s an accessory. If you are interested only in utility, your life will be fine with a Casio, as with acrylic frames. I change the watch and/or it’s strap according to what I’m wearing or where I’m going.
@@afuentesalburono one said “only” for utility. We are responding to Teddy is saying he doesn’t use watches for their utility. (No mention of the word “only”. It’s sad that he says he doesn’t use watches for their utility. Utility is a core feature.
I absolutely love this collection of "hot takes" Teddy. Where do I start? Chrono's and timing; 100% agree. When my little one was born and we had to time feeds (because it was via syringe attached nose tube), I used the 24hr bezel on my Lorier Hyperion, specifically, the arrow marker at 0/24 to mark start time. When you are that sleep deprived, fiddling with a chronograph, let alone a phone timer, wasn't a option. Speaking of the Hyperion, warmth of the crystal and a engravable casebacks were selling points to me for the reasons you spoke of. While I adore my Grand Seiko Sports GMT, for the first couple of months of ownership, I swore there was a thin plastic packaging layer still on the dial because of the oiling fingerprints it was picking up. Lume I think, while not a deal breaker, can really be a integral part of the design. For watches that are monotone, it can really bring one to life. Utility-wise, I once again agree. It's super unreliable so I wouldn't be putting my life it's hands. Accuracy I feel is on a perfect 1:1 scale with power reserve. The longer a watch can sustain itself, the more accuracy is important (or more so, noticeable). I'm so grateful that whenever I pickup my Grand Seiko Sports GMT, that it's 9F powered and always spot on. As a dad, sometimes I don't have time to f*** around so being able to slap it on the wrist and go and still have good time is very appreciated.
Teddy asked for it. My hot takes are on function and aesthetics. 1. Leather straps on dive watches. People go nuts over this, but personally I put leather straps on nearly every dive watch I own. I don’t dive, but snorkel occasionally. I do have a few watches that I keep the bracelets on however, I’ve got big hands and relatively small wrists so it’s really a challenge to get a bracelet to fit correctly. I find leather straps to be more comfortable than rubber or a NATO strap. Also, when you have colorful or interesting dials on a dive watch, a leather strap can really bring that out. 2. NATO straps. I absolutely love the idea of a NATO strap and how it functions. However, I think they are incredibly unsightly on my wrist. It’s too big and bulky and the symmetry is never right for me. And it’s too bad because there’s lots of really cool strap designs. I do like the French parachute elastic style band a lot I wear quite a few of those.
Excellent discussion Teddy! You gave me release from personal obsessions with accuracy, lume and crystals. I feel like I can enjoy these little marvels of beauty all the more. Thank you!
Great video! Having worn vintage mechanical watches since the 80s, I agree with these points. Sapphire crystals really didn't appear until the middle 80s, somehow we all managed to survive with acrylic! The same goes for the rest of these features, the watch companies have programmed us to believe we need all the extras, that way they can justify charging us extra for things we don't really need. Of course, the date position is going to be a matter of taste. There's never going to be a configuration that pleases everyone. I generally dislike the date complication, but there are watches that look better with it. The date at 6 is cool, I need one of those! And my steel Seiko automatic from 80s has the usual day/date at 3, because tool watches are supposed to be that way.
Great outtakes. Date window placement argument cracks me up!! Your "my watch is a reference point" is tired and true. One thing I always remember being taught at Richemont was that most wearers reference "time left" within the hour, set schedule or day. For the most part your interaction with a watch is a exactly that - a reference, or a quick glance, and secondly - its how that reference made you feel that was just as important.
Thank you Teddy! I believe every watch enthusiast or people who likes watches in general should watch this video, just for a new perspective on how we look at, buy and live with watches. Especially nowadays where everything is so heavily spec focused. Amazing video, keep up the good work!
I love your take on accuracy! My own daily watch is a GS quartz and I love how accurate it can be, but most of the time what really matters personally is knowing the amount of effort and care put into the creation of the watch that makes it so accurate, rather than the accuracy itself. If I'm buying an affordable mechanical watch I most likely won't be thinking about accuracy as long as I don't need to adjust the time every few hours.
Agree with your about the preference to closed case backs. For on the fly adjustments simply use a Bonklip style bracelet - Forstner Klip for example - as long as the watch head is not too massive. I find a timing bezel extremely useful & often use one multiple times a day.
@TeddyBaldassarre great stuff! I am a baby boomer, a master scuba diver, a retired law enforcement officer and an EMT. Medical professionals use their watches to check heart & respiratory rates and pulse for a reason. I have worn a watch all my adolescent/adult life to tell the time. A watch is a gentleman’s tool. Tools are for daily use. Art is for collecting. Use of a phone to tell the time is counter intuitive to me. It goes against the reason men started wearing wrist watches in the first place during World War I. I agree with you about tritium if lume is a must have in a watch. Otherwise I wear a Timex with Indiglo. Accuracy +/- 2 minutes per day is all I need. When I put my watch on in the morning, I hack it with my phone and wind it if it is one of my mechanicals. It takes one minute. If my day may require strap adjustment, wearing my watch over a jacket or a we/dry suit, I wear one of my watches with a NATO, a Zulu or even a velcro strap. Stainless bracelet for casual wear. Leather for dress. I have a dozen or so watches that cover me in all situations. None of them valued over $300 US.
We like this kind of content from you because it feels like a format in which we can personally connect with you and agree or disagree on nit-picky things, like friends! Keep this content coming Teddy! (We also enjoy the other content as well :) )
Yes! I have been having thoughts about sapphire too! I generally like darker dials , with a sapphire on an affordable watch the dial will look blue-ish most of the angles (due to AR coating). I actually prefer the mineral glass on my citizen pro master or a new acrylic crystal on a vintage watch
Great point on watches - my own comparison: I have a Cartier Santos - absolutely beautiful watch, historic, but when I'm asked the time, my answer is "it's between 12 and 1, looks like about 12:30pm). One of my standard daily watches is my 25 year old Omega Seamaster, 600m, and when I'm asked the time I answer "It is 12:33pm... oh, nope, just became 12:34pm)" - as Teddy noted, is your goal just a perfect watch for you at your time of day, or making sure the trains are running on time. 🙂 And for clarity - I own a few dozen watches, my absolute favorite watch is the one I've decided I'm wearing that day. Oh, and chrono's? Nope, too busy for me - the more complications, the harder it is to use, and to see. Bling worthy maybe, but I call it a "fool" versus a tool watch (sorry, not sorry)
Teddy, please keep adding your hottakes. My older generation never had problems with debate and disagreement and did not make it personal. IMHO, however, while I agree that sapphire is not always prescribed, I have it on both my last gen Moonwatch and white Moonwatch. There is nothing like seeing that polished and decorated movement. Without the 321, it’s not the same watch as the Apollo missions anyway. So, why deprive oneself of a classier and nicer Moonwatch? I am a diver, so lume matters, though I will rarely take such watches in the ocean with me. It’s nice to know that it has that feature. I do agree that every movement does not deserve an exhibition case back, such as the Miyota 9000 series. However, I would err on the side of having an exhibition caseback in a debatable situation. Keep the videos coming friend.
Enjoyable vid, Teddy. I readily admit to being a Type A person most of my life; my favorite semi-recent watch acquisition is the Casio Oceanus T200 -- and I still LOVE knowing the time is pert near exact. Over the past few years, I finally came into automatic watches (and semi-retirement) and find myself pretty relaxed with + 5-7 seconds a day.
Thanks Teddy. Always like listening to you. Only disagreement I have is around accuracy. Seems to me that if watches tell time, accuracy is an inherent aspect of its function and is a key differentiator. Thanks again and keep it up!
Loved this video and would love a part 2. It showed that you’re a pragmatic watch enthusiast who is purposeful with your own collection, and not willing just buy into the groupthink that dominates so many groups and social media posts. I don’t agree with all your takes, I personally love the look of lume, but if you’re authentic in your love of watches we should all have our own thoughts. Thanks for not just trying to make a buck in the industry, but instead using your voice to normalize differences in opinion.
The watch Internet: mindlessly enjoying its day
Teddy: i woke up today and chose violence
Haha I like to call it friendly discourse. Enjoy your Saturday 😂
😂
"That's for the lume!" guy still not showing up, so let's up the ante.
@@TeddyBaldassarre I'm sharpening my pitchfork and oiling my torch
@@TeddyBaldassarrefookin legend lad
Here’s a hot take: the history of a watch or watch brand doesn’t matter nearly as much as current build quality or value for money. A new watch with a rich brand history shouldn’t be the reason for a high price when the quality can be matched or beaten by a much cheaper watch
Agree! You listening, Switzerland?
I don’t disagree with this. History is important but it doesn’t mean nearly as much if the modern product doesn’t uphold what made that history noteworthy in the first place.
👏
Steven if I could slam that like button 1000 times, I would.
@@3581tossit 😂
I think we have lost our collective minds with watches. We all want a perfect size, long lasting Lume, on the fly adjustments, tapered bracelet. We want name recognition. We want 3xs resale value and COSC accuracy. We want a strap monster with an integrated bracelet. And if course, we want all that for under $1000.
and then after that, we want the next watch
And then you sell it for 1/4
@@dhannylil2191LOL! Yes!!
Nicely formed statement
Yep
I recently started wearing a watch again so I could keep my phone in my pocket. Generally, when I'm out in public what I want to know is what time it is. If I'm out to have a meal with friends my phone stays in my pocket because I don't like the whole move toward everybody talking on their phones while they're in front of you and not paying attention to you. So wearing a watch reminds me of how things used to be in my pledge to do my best to not be one of the many and keep my phone in my pocket unless there's something I actually need it for
Bravo...Hear, Hear....completely agree, rudeness knows no bounds. Sadly, it's overlooked and accepted now days.
Teddy has a very healthy attitude toward watches. It is supposed to be a fun hobby, but we sometimes obsess about certain things (like clasps, plexi, casebacks, etc.) that in the grand scheme of life, are just not all that important. Thanks for this episode. Cheers!
I'm someone who sets his watch to an exact time, waits, and closes the crown when my phone changes to said time
Try time.gov the atomic clock at the naval observatory.
Totally agree. And if I want to wear a non-hacking movement watch I will slow down to set the time until the second hand is not perfectly aligned! 😅
@octodeciliionaire9438 if you're curious you can go to time.gov and it'll show you the time in different US time zones, and it compensates for the ping between your device and the time server.
Time.gov
Mechanicals in general are too unpredictable to sweat the seconds once you've set it as close as you can get it.
So that at 5pm you're off to 6 sec.
I have my grandpa’s Bulova that he had during WWII. He went to Iwo Jima with it. Before he was shipped out, he swapped his old one out for the Bulova from his dad. The reason was because he didn’t want the lume on his old one to glow in the dark and be visible to the enemy. So you never know, maybe having no lume saved his life.
Its funny you should say that, whenever I see a military watch, super rugged indestructible with lume, I always think to myself. "Yeah the sniper saw him because he saw the lume on his watch"
That's interesting. At the time, Bulova was marketing 'service watches', which were some of it's regular models with radioactive lume added to the dial. I'm sure they glowed bright as day! The alternative was using a match or flashlight to look at the watch, a much more dangerous option. But it was his life, and his decision.
Good point. A number of years ago I had a discussion about watches with a former member of the SAS. He had been in active service during what was called ‘the Malayan Emergency.’ This was a British version of Vietnam - except that we won.
Anyway, he told me that he, an officer, had a Rolex. However, he arranged with a watchmaker to remove all of the luminous material from the dial, especially the hands.
When, shocked, I asked him “why?”
He said that not to have done so would have made him ‘sniper food’ in the jungle at night.
I’m just sitting here waiting for the second hands to reach 12 to synchronize my watch with the automic clock mumbling to myself “Teddy…pffff what does he know.” 😂
There is only one important purpose of a watch- that you enjoy wearing it. That's literally it. Nothing else matters.
❤
Same with a raincoat or winter jacket or a hi-vis vest or a motorcycle helmet......the simple joy of wearing it
@@jamesd4013 ha, ummm, no. The primary purpose of the items you mentioned are all very practical- to keep dry, warm and safe.
It's not the only purpose. Watches tell time. Yes our smartphones tell the time too but what if the battery dies. What if you get lost? What if nuclear war breaks out. Without a watch you won't know what time it is. lol
👍🏾👏🏾🙌🏾 My sentiments exactly!
I was a dentist for 40 years I used dive watch bezel as a convenient timer
Accuraxy: the functional reason why I wear a watch. I hate looking at my phone! Is the phone accurate, yes. Does the phone make me happy to look at it? NO!
I’m with you.
Saying you don’t want accuracy with a watch is plane dumb.
Why have a watch then. just stick with a mobile
There isn't a single thing I do in my life where a few seconds of accuracy will make any difference at all, and I'd argue it's no different for the vast majority of the population. Are there a small group of people to truly do need extreme accuracy? Sure.
@@bsmithhammer
I totally agree with you, but understand the other side. Watches are largely optional, and often valued as precision-made devices. If you enjoy the idea of precise little machines, accuracy is a part of that.
@@bigwilliearmitage For sure. I can definitely understand both sides - I can really appreciate precision (like my Seamaster 300, for example). It's just that I can also be honest with myself that it isn't a 'life or death' necessity.
Agreed
Okay:
- I work in the military, and part of my job involves working in zones where, for security purposes, personal transmitting devices aren’t allowed. This includes smartphones and smart watches. Thus, I wear either dumb quartz or mechanical watches for work. I will agree that to-the-second accuracy isn’t strictly speaking necessary; for watches than run a few seconds slow I usually set one minute ahead, and reset every few days.
- For the longest time, whenever I travelled, I preferred my watch to have lume so I could read it in low-light conditions. This past spring when I went to Scotland I tried wearing a dress watch with no lume for travel. To my surprise I found I didn’t miss it. I may have to try that more often.
- I have had occasion to use a chronograph function for timing events. While I’ve timed bicycle rides with an analog chronograph, I’ve found that I prefer a digital display for recording those times, because I comprehend the numbers quicker.
- For me, “on-the-fly-wrist-adjustment” has always meant straps instead of bracelets.
Nice one mate! I recently bought a vintage, dressy Soviet watch in Poland that's about 5-10min slow per day, but somehow, for some perverse reason, it's part of its charm. What surprised me on a practical level, is that even 10min off per day makes minimal difference if the watch is only worn for a couple of hours in the evening.
Its funny because outside of spy/info work, no one who actually uses watches pragmatically ever has these super expensive prestige watches on, they are just impractical.
Cool point of view.
Couldn't agree more on the case backs and lume. Lume nearly never works as intended, and I much prefer a closed case back with nice engravings or decoration to looking at a mediocre finish on a not-so-exciting seiko/miyota/eta movement, especially when that view case back adds bulk to a watch. My closed back watches wear much better
have u tried using casio digital watches or maybe some g-shocks? i think they work really well for the type of work that ur in
Comfort is vastly underated!!.
Adding to that, on an integrated watch case, the bracelet matters as much as the watch itself.
Comfort is subjective
That's why i wear my moonswatch (mars) so much 😅 i don't even feel it on my wrist
@@henrywolf8618Same! When I picked mine up, I had almost been conditioned to dislike it. Now after a year in, it might be my most worn watch. I even like the velcro strap. Comfort wise, it can’t be beat.
And I know it’s because of the hype around it in the past, but I get more comments on it than all my other more expensive ones combined.
I agree. I rarely see people write about comfort.
Teddy not wearing his watches to tell time is mind blowing!
Ya what? Why would you use your phone to tell time if you are wearing a watch?
@@LastExile123 Because a phone tells better time than any mechanical watch, that's why people don't wear wrist watches nearly as much as they used to.
Silly me, I use my wristwatch to tell the time. Call me "boomer" if you must. A mobile phone is, at best, a pocket watch -- not very convenient.
Sure, but does it matter if it’s 20 seconds out? For most people, I’d say, hardly.
@@AndrewWieseit absolutely does
I'm a millennial, but smartphones and smart watches are too slow, need charge, and not always within reach. No phones in the classroom (I'm a teacher) and the clocks aren't always reliable. Also, avid biker, so I ain't fiddling with a phone or squinting at a dim screen in sunlight while dodging traffic.
Nah, a good 'ol mechanical watch still just can't be beat in 2024.
@@zephyr2002 Does your mechanical withstand your biking habits? I would think so, just checking. Some would insist on quartz.
Your phone keeps accurate time, your watch will gain/lose time through the weeks and months. At some point you'll have to readjust the watch to accurate time again, not so much with a phone.
Hot take: Any features that eliminate any need ever for me to use a spring bar tool are highly valued features.
Teddy: "i don´t want or need accuracy on my watch."
germans: close to a heart attack.
@@RevoltingRudi lolololololololololololololol
Mate! Germans get late lots of time, especially their public transport.
The stereotypes are still alive. But the truth is different.
@@vsevo dealing with german railway system is an open wound that will never heal. 1 week ago my train just got canceld because of a damaged door. one damaged door. cost me 2 fucking hours.
but public transport in Hamburg is on time for the most part.
Pilots, Swiss, Japanese, Germans, any organised people died today.😅
I am from an older generation, so I do rely on my watch for accuracy and legibility at night to tell me the time. The phone is not second nature to me.
You must love quartz more than mechanical then.
@@jacksong6634 Some of us are pre quartz 🙂
Get with the times old man
I think things like accuracy are being addressed by some manufacturers. Seikos spring drive, while out of reach financially is a great example. Hybridization can straddle both sides of the argument by providing high accuracy and the old school mechanical beauty and nostalgia we love. Bulova and their precisionist quartz movement provides a smoother sweep of seconds hand than an auto, and is accurate to +/-10 a year. There are options to satisfy all.
@@IamnotJokic so are you wearing a smartwatch?
To be honest, I disagreed with a lot of what you said, but I completely see where you’re coming from! Thanks for sharing Teddy!
At my off grid cabin I always wear a Timex Indi-glo if I wake in the dark and have to see the time.
The most frustrating type of caseback: a display caseback with printing that removes the ability to customise but also obscures the movement. Looking at you GS
I don't get why Seiko does this. It looks so cheap.
@@SoundShunter72not Seiko. GS.
@@danal9787 Seiko does it too with their Prospex watches and I'm sure some others as well.
I have a watch that came this way and I thought it was stupid too. Can't see the movement.
Exactly on Seiko!
Other than the lume part , i kinda agree, I am sorry but my old school kid kicks in when i see my watch glowing beautifully in the dark . I often show it to my friends because other than the molecules in the material , i get excited too.
I wear contacts and take them out at night, which makes lumed faces difficult to read, which is why a digital clock with bright numerals lives on my bedside. Now if I suddenly need to read the time in a dark clothes closet during the day, I suppose lume might be useful. That said, I do have a Tissot dive watch with fat sword hands that I can read at night if I have to, but the rest of the collection generally fails the test, and that includes several good quality dive watches that cost a good deal more than the Tissot..
My wife doesn't like my hobby but the only thing she likes about my watches is the lume glowing in the dark 😁
@@seayak I am kinda curious about dive watches costing more than Tissot and having an underwhelming lume quality , could you spell some names here(so the rest of the buyers are cautious) because I have had watches with incredible lume under 350 USD.
@@Wayne-q1v6l not married yet but my friends love the lume on my watches , and even when I go to any outdoor activities, I make sure to charge my lume and people tend to call that out as it shines even after a few hours , so yes , I guess hi 5 mate.
Shortly after getting into watches I learned that not only are acrylic crystals tougher (not stronger... learn the difference guys) but can be buffed out with polywatch... I wish all my watches had acrylic.
This is because I am the complete polar opposite of teddy lol
I work with my hands, I time things multiple times daily, I also work in very low light every night.
But I also agree with teddy... watches are an expression too. I'm a craftsman, always have been, I'm proud of that, so I like my watches to reflect that.
I completely agree with Teddy regarding almost everything he said. I especially despise exhibition casebacks. I disagree about lume not because it's particularly useful but because I enjoy the luminous effect visually.
I happen to like the exhibition case backs. I have it on my Omega Speedmaster and my Panerai 111. I have a dozen other. watches that are closed case backs. I just like having different things in my collection. I bought my green 50th anniversary submariner because everybody I knew had a black one. I also went grand Seiko because I did not know anybody with one.
@@mocheen4837 nice yea that's what makes it great everyone has their unique tastes and sometimes it's good to have the less popular piece
Agree on most Teddy, I first and foremost wear a watch for it's looks. I would always go for looks over anything else.
For me accuracy is very important (well, I’m a guy who set time on my watches every morning to make sure that it’s accurate down to a seconds).
I don’t care about the position of date window though, as long as it has one then I’m okay (not having a date window is a deal breaker for me nonetheless, I use date windows on my watch on regular basis).
Im the same way. it looks like we are in the minority.
@@thinaphonpetsiri9907 Dam dude can we say ANAL!
@@thinaphonpetsiri9907 That's extremely anal.
lol im that guy who waits for the second hand to hit 12. why would
you want the minute hand to align to the marker at a random second and not at zero?!
Personally, because the watch will eventually desynchronize so it’s not really a big deal if I’m a couple of seconds late or early😅
My personal hot takes:
- Lume does matter but it depends on the watch. How often are you going to find yourself in pitch darkness wearing your Nomos Tangente?
- Transparent caseback or bust. I didn't spend over $7k on a watch to NOT see cool stuff inside.
- A manual wound movement needs to be top tier to get a purchase from me. I bought a fancy automatic watch winder and you'd better believe I'm gonna use it. 😅
Not hottakes at all, complete milk toast as the kids say, and I'm here for all of your opinions!
It was amusing watching Teddy trying to justify this position based on not being able to engrave and immediately made logically inconsistent arguments with the snoopy caseback xD.
That's a cool set of opinions. Makes sense given the explanations.
But it's individual. My watch priorities may be a bit different.
@@suspicioustumbleweed4760 I have no debt and haven't for many years, which affords me the disposable income to pursue various hobbies, such as horology.
@DollarDude, you get me!
1. 100% agree on Lume. Unless I’m trapped in a dark elevator, I’ll never ever need Lume.
2. And I totally agree on accuracy. With a 21-piece collection, almost none of mine are accurate all the time. Besides 3-4 daily drivers, when I pull a watch to wear, I always always have to wind, reset time, reset date, then I’m good to go for the day. And I prolly won’t see that lovely again for 2 weeks.
3. I actually do love an open caseback, because in the wild, the open caseback is still unique. The movement, the operation, the spinning parts are still interesting for the masses.
4. As a bigger guy, bracelet adjustment is a big deal. We swell a lot during summer days, dehydrated vs hydrated, sweat, etc etc. I’m truly drawn to on-the-fly adjustments. It truly makes a difference.
5. Another Take is that waterproofing is SO overrated on luxury watches. I’m a veteran (over 100 dives) diver, I’ve never ever seen a luxury watch on a dive. We all have “dive computers,” not watches. And I’d never wear my Submariner or any other “dive watch” into the water.
Would be interesting to hear your thoughts on watch
crystals.
great comment - agree with all your points.
Teddy: My life and income revolves around watches
Also Teddy: Every feature of every watch is useless and I don't care about them
That's exactly what I was thinking!!!
And uses a phone to look time...not even a smartwatch!!!
This is what I would call a dumb take, not a hot take.
Well I mean wrist watches are literally useless in this age. Just buy a smart watch 😂. Teddy cares about watches because he likes the history, style, and romanticism. Along with being able to pass it down as a piece of jewelry I believe.
That's because he knows hype when he sees it.
Teddy, you crack me up. Halfway thru, I was half-expecting you to say, “I sometimes don’t care that my watch is running!”
Accuracy, I agree. Younger days, I kept chasing accuracy. Once I got there with a selection of watches, rotating what I wear, “close enough is good enough”.
I will say extended power reserve is nice. “Hey, that’s still running, I’ll wear that.”
He DID say that!!
I just want a watch that fits my style & personality.
I LOVE watches, but I’m certainly no expert on the subject.
I do love lume on watches, but certainly not something I need.
I’ll take my Speedmaster over a watch that Lumes any day.
Teddy, I really appreciate your attention to detail and approach to your videos. I am just over 50 years old and have to wear reading glasses. What is important for me is to be able to look at my watch (without my reading glasses) and be able to tell the time. I find that watches that are not as busy (ex. a chronograph) is easier for me to quickly tell the time. Another major point for me is to be able to tell time WITHOUT looking at my phone. Keep up the great work!
If I wanted to have to pull out and return my cellphone when I want to know the time, maybe I’d buy a pocket watch. People stopped buying pocket watches and replaced them with wristwatches for a reason.
When it comes to date windows, more important to me is that it is large enough to read rather than placement. Bucherer Bicompax is large enough. Marathon GSAR is a challenge to read.
I do look at my watch constantly to see what time it is, and I also often check the day of the month. That's why I wear a watch on my wrist and not a phone.
Just buy a smart watch the , no? Idk I check the time on my phone most of the time because I'm always checking my phone for other reasons. The wrist watch is just a style/ romantic type of piece for an outfit at this point
1. Lume: If it's gonna be on, it shouldn't be terrible. At least it should be decent and even. A good example of when I don't want lume are on watches like Grand Seiko (excluding the sports models).
2. Hot take #1: Odd lug widths are fine if it keeps the proportions of the watch "right".
3. Hot take #2: A superior quartz (think GS 8J/9F) over entry-level Japanese quartz (think NH3x series) always.
On point 3: did you mean a good quartz movement is better than an entry level mechanical movement?
@@isaiah9683 Yes precisely. As with most opinions, there would be exceptions, but generally yes.
That's why I love your channel Teddy. You are honest and tell it like it is. Not afraid to say what a majority of us are thinking in this video.
Watches aren't just for style, they're also just so convenient compared to pulling a brick out of your pocket. I find them really helpful when I'm out and about because having the time on my wrist is so much easier than pulling my phone out.
We disagree on accuracy and that’s completely ok. Finding the most accuracy for the money fit in a watch that meets my style and composition requirements is the juice for me. As you’ve said before Teddy, collecting is a long game. Finding what you will be most happy with that will last you decades can and should go as far and as detailed as you what it to be.
Then get a $5 casio. It’s more accurate than any auto.
@@EricKyriazis 100% I split the different and daily a Chronomaster. Nearly perfect accuracy, perpetual clock (outside of DST in the states), solar powered, and high end build quality/finishing, and basically no servicing costs. Caring about auto-accuracy to a massive degree has always been oxymoronic to me.
@@EricKyriazismy railmaster keeps better time than my f91w for some reason
@@EricKyriazis This is probably the best answer to the people claiming to care about accuracy, if they value accuracy so much just use a phone or a cheap casio. I like casio, I think casio is fun, and it's a perfectly good choice if you just want an affordable thing to tell the time.
as someone who has scratched the sapphire on my black bay, I'll take sapphire on every watch I own
How did you scratch sapphire?
@@odenirongiant against a diamond ring, I guess?
Spring Drive power meter should be the on back, and the description or specifications don't need to be on the front; I don't need Automatic or Spring Drive or 300m written on the front. These remind me of car companies advertising engine size, EFI, hybrid, or anything else when the driver knows. It just clutters dial.
Teddy you really p*ss me off... I've been watching your presentations for years! My feeling is that accuracy, lume, durability and water resistance are hyper-important, perhaps not so for every piece in a collection, but most people need tool watches. I got more interested in watches after wearing the same speedy automatic reduit for 20 years and started wondering what else I could get my hands on that might be lighter with other features. Most of the watches I have I can wear daily and they tell me the time at all times of the day, in the shower, in bed, in a tent, in the water, hiking a trail friday night for a weekend backpacking getaway... I rely on some of my watches as tools... what they are: they tell me the f'in time, and I can even use them to calculate geographic north if I can see the sun!!! Grr.
Hot take: watches from big brands are often boring and lazy designs.
I imagine for example Rolex' design department being one guy just phoning it in: "This year: same watch, different color." and the watch world laps it up.
Same for Omega: "This year, limited edition Speedmaster professional. Also, a 007-themed Seamaster." and the watch world oooohs and aaaahs.
The more prestigious the brand, the more the community lets them coast on 'classic' designs.
Disagree on calling out Omega here. If anything the biggest criticism they get is that they do too many limited runs or weird features / colors
I mean there’s a reason we also like small upgrades. I want a mix of small improvements or 007 style marketing AND crazy new stuff. You can’t make wild new watches every year and expect to stay in business.
@@bikinglemur7738 well would anyone be surprised at the announcement of a limited edition Speedy? That's more what I'm hinting at.
I hate to say this but ' timeless' design/ beautiy ( golsen rari , etc..) probably feeds into the,'if ain't broke..'.
Also, people may dream about such watches & then when attainable want the same design & upgrade specs..
Apropos: drilled lugs ( with even lug widths) on most non dress watches ( less need for q.r. spring bars).
I generally agree, but the hot take against microadjustment is a bit ridiculous. Yes, let me carry my spring bar tool with me on a hot summer day, so 5 hours in I can stop my bracelet from cutting off my circulation. Dont make excuses for watch manufactures, AT MINIMUM they should use quick release spring bars in the clasp so you can manually change the size of the bracelet. I know Nomos does this, but I have no clue why other manufactures dont do this, such an easy fix.
As I mentioned in the video, I prefer having micro adjustment over not having it. There are just some drawbacks that come with an on the fly system that aren’t always talked about. Usually with adding bulk to the clasp or taking away from the more elegance appearance.
If your wrist is swelling enough to require a 5mm+ adjustment during the day, you need to get the doctor ASAP. It’s weird how microadjust didn’t matter until a few years ago lol people did just fine for the 100 years prior
@@TeddyBaldassarre For watch manufacturers that already drill multiple anchor points in their clasp, there is zero reason why they can’t use quick release spring bars to modify the anchor point on the fly. Why are we defending laziness??
@@Doggo-frencton No it it's normal depending on your wrist size and climate. If you have a smaller wrist size you might not notice this but as someone that's been wearing watches since he was 15, and has large wrists, I assure you it's completely normal to swell this much as a healthy individual.
Why wear the watch so tight in the first place that you can't manage a little swelling throughout the day? I don't get that at all.
My personal hot take is the lack of scratch proof coatings on almost all Swiss watches. Citizen, Zelos and others offer hardened surfaces on some of their watches and they work very well. Some people think scratches give character to a watch but, personally I hate getting scratches on my watches.
me too, character is too subjective - its got scratches
I get that most people don't actually use lume. I'm one of those weirdos who sleeps wearing a watch... and if I wake up at any point during the night, my Railmaster's lume lets me check the time. I enjoy that :) Since I don't really take it off, I don't need an exhibition caseback. Actually, I appreciate the Hippocampus.
I also like that my watch is "dumb"; it's a back-up tool for me as a pilot, as well as something I aesthetically enjoy. I mean, a really unnecessary back-up, given the redundancies available in most aircraft and accompanying devices!
Our miles all vary. It'd be boring, otherwise.
Some fantastic discussions here, Teddy. As a vintage Accutron collector I'm in complete agreement with you regarding crystals, lume, and casebacks. Your points about casebacks reminded me of the Citizen Hisonic I own which has a wonderful gold colored medallion.
Accuracy matters when it's supposed to be cosc and its running +8 spd. I just bought my first luxury watch, a black bay 58, and right out of the box it gained 7 seconds a day for the first two days and today on the third day it gained another 10 seconds. What makes it even worse is that I have a Hamilton and a Tissot that cost a fraction of the price and have much better accuracy. The both run on average +2 or 3 seconds a day. I realize I may have gotten really lucky with those watches, but I expected more from my first cosc certified watch. I'm bummed
I agree. The less accurate your watch is, the more you have to set it.
Very unfortunate to hear i own mostly all alpinist models with compss bezel and without it bay alp. etc. and also tissot prx and they run very accurately
@lihaniska87 isn't that interesting? Even my SKX is keeping better time than my new Tudor. I've read online that a new watch might have a bit of a break in period, but still.. you drop 4 grand on a watch you expect it to blow everything else out of the water. Instead it's had the worst accuracy of all my mechanical watches and they're all sub $1,000 watches
I would be too. You have a right to expect more.
I totally agree. I have a $2000 Orient Star which is a frustrating +15 SPD. Whereas my cheap citizen miyota 8200 is half a second a day slow. Seems accuracy is often down to luck.
People worried about a watch's accuracy need to buy quartz, period.
Fair, but also if I'm paying $4k+ it better be able to at least tell time accurately.
@@GianfrancoRigail True.
@@GianfrancoRigailyou know what you’re buying and you automatics aren’t as accurate as a quartz or your phone.
@@GianfrancoRigail Why spend thousands of dollars on a watch if you care about accuracy? Get a cheaper quartz watch, or maybe a digital watch.
Or spring drive. GS does spare the lume more than other brands but they’re starting to have more lume in their newest line.
As a teacher on a bell schedule, I like to have accuracy down to the second. For me, hacking is a must, and the longer the watch can stay accurate the better.
Those of us who attend a lot of virtual meetings find this important, too. I want to join my meetings exactly on time, not 45 seconds early or late. That accuracy and punctuality is noticed by others.
@@jim.anchower And the clock on the computer you’re using for the digital meeting isn’t good or accessible enough?
@@jim.anchower Same deal here. I take breaks away from the computer without the phone. I want to join meetings on the exact second they start if possible.
@@richardhilton77 I had to google how to get the system tray clock to show seconds but it can be done. Thanks - I can get rid of these damn watches now.
I think people like Teddy forget that there are people like us who actually *need* our watch to be accurate, and no, we don't want to "uhh just use your phone".
An exhibition case back is the best option as it helps you determine when it is time for a service. If you can see the oiling in the balance jewel and it looks good (covers at least 50 % of the surface of the cap jewel) and the watch is running fine and winding correctly with the automatic, just keep wearing it until the oil looks like it has depleted somewhat, amplitude starts to drop, or the rotor starts spinning when you hand-wind (sign the reversers need servicing). If a watch has been properly cleaned and serviced to it really should run 10 years without issue.
You are correct, i've been saying the same. obsession with automatic accuracy on an affordable watch is ridiculous when they are all inaccurate compared to quartz/synced
as somebody who owns a sekio alpinist
It’s a great Watch, but the accuracy is just a joke .
Agreed, of all my watches my Alpinist is the least accurate. Still love it.
Agreed, but it does bother me. I would like it to be more accurate so I don't have to "touch up" the time so often.
One of the reasons I won't buy one (but I fully admit that it's very pretty).
Buy a cheap USB timegrapher and a case remover, you'll spend under $60.
Must really suck having a beautiful watch that makes you late for everything by 2.247595 seconds
I love how you covered it in the beginning but it bears repeating. Watch collecting is a personal pursuit. It should be based on personal experience. My timex crystal got scratched to dog 💩 within a week. I love the indigo but if I can't see it for the scratches it don't do a lick of good. My boderry was nice and scratch resistant but not the easiest to read. Then I tried the loreo submariner homage to get some idea what the fuss was about and you know what, I love wearing a bracelet which shocked me but now I'm ordering the bracelet for my voyager. The first time I saw the sweeping seconds hand I knew I was a mechanical guy, the first time I had to reset a mechanical after not wearing it for a week I knew I was a quartz guy. I love the sound the bezel makes but if I'm actually timing something I use my phone because that's how I'm conditioned. Right now my grail watch is the RGM "COE" for it's made in America heritage and it's similarity to a pocket watch but the price is out of reach. The beauty of this hobby is I can experiment with my taste on the less expensive end of the scale and as I refine my taste I can I can choose what aspects of watch collecting are worth spending my money on. Another aspect I enjoy is discussing watches that people are wearing. The trick is that there's enough to this hobby so people who come from different angles can all find something to enjoy. I may through a friendly jab sometimes because I'm gen x and we are capable of enjoying each other's fake pain as we pretend for a second we actually care then proceed to criticize each other's insults looking for a way to improve them. If there's kids reading this don't worry it's OK that you don't understand, it was a different time back then.
I don't disagree with any of these. As for chronographs, they are good for me for 60 seconds, after that I can't read the subdials.
Where I do disagree... a watch guy that goes to his phone to read the time?
Or the damn minute hand covers the minute dial on the chronograph.
People who don't care about accuracy are probably wearing numerous watches. When you wear the same watch every day, accuracy matters more to you.
I agree that micro adjust can get a bit out of hand. It’s nice to have on the fly up to the size of a link for quick adjustment. But the bulkiness of the clasp gets in the way of its more than that.
My hot take is on water resistance. I don’t care if a watch has 200 meter water resistance. I don’t dive and I don’t get myself in a situation where I am accidentally swimming. There are bigger issues if that happens. As long as I can wash my hands and wash the dishes, I’m fine with the water resistance
Always love your balanced views, even when they differ from my own watch preferences. Keep it up and keep on keeping it real Teddy!
When you get to be an old man having to get up numerous times a night to go the the toilet, you’ll appreciate Lume
You captured my comment before I made it!
I have a wall clock in the bathroom for that purpose, and I also turn on the light before doing my thing.
People wear dive watches to sleep every night ?
I wear my watches to bed. If I wake up and it is dark, I want to know if it is 3:00 am or 6:00. I do not want to search for my phone.
@@sharpe8888 I wear my good lume watches to bed be they dive, flieger, GADA, EDC or field so I can see the time when I wake up in the night. I have many with lume that lasts all night.
I would say Dive watches are overrated; they all look very similar, somehow boring, and the bezel is not used by most!
I think dive watches are popular because they have the mix of characteristics you actually benefit from having in an everyday watch: easy legibility, the ability to time something, robustness/water resistance, and for me personally (I know this one's controversial, the date). I use the bezel to time things while cooking or during work almost every day of the week.
Baltic Aquascaphe Dual-Crown will change your mind
i do agree that most of them look the same , i have a couple of them , i use them as chronographs to time thing. I am not saying they look the same , but i guess they kinda look the same.
I find most divers to be too heavy and thick for comfortable everyday wear. I have a diver I wear fishing. But that's just me.
@@Robert32064 that is a decent point as well , I wear them as everyday watch but the bulky part is true as well
Teddy, accuracy is actually important when wearing your watch over many days. The more accurate it is the less often you'll have to set your watch. That's one thing I'll give the Omega METAS certification. Since Omega's watches only gain time, all you need to do is pull the crown out and wait for the seconds hand to match the world time again instead of setting the entire watch if it starts to lose time.
He has to say that or else he would't be able to sell automatic watches that suck
Just get a quartz.
Teddy...Excellent video, I would love a part 2. You could talk watches all day and I would never get bored. Thanks
Love the vid and appreciate your honest/realistic approach. One point about accuracy that I feel you missed is that most of us have multiple watches and if your automatic watch is off 10-20 sec/day and you wear it for 100 days straight then that’s a problem but most of us wear a watch for a day or a few then change watches and then resetting of the watch when you put it on next time is part of the enjoyment/interaction/connection with a mechanical watch. So close is good enough, I love your approach
I’m stunned . I actually agreed with everything . I was all about sapphire until your explanation . I may be the oddball , but I prefer a butterfly clasp. Don’t really care about micro adjustment . I size my bracelets snug , then add an extra link . Seems to work great for me . I was in the line bandwagon for a while , but unless it’s tritium , it doesn’t last long enough to make a difference .
Do you live in a cave? I have many watches with lume that easily lasts all night. After that it gets light so I don't need tritium to glow forever. Lume that lasts all night is just as useful as tritium.
@@SingleTrackMined yes I live in a cave
I disagree with you on most of these points, most particularly those concerning the practicality of a watch: I rely on my watch to tell me the correct time and date (no, I don't verify it with my phone), so if my watch is off then I'm late to an appointment or miss it altogether, if the date is incorrect then I will fill out a document incorrectly, ergo I *need* the watch to function correctly and with a high degree of precision. Yes, accuracy matters, yes I *need* a date complication, yes I do actually use the lume.
Yep, I 100% agree with you. I use my watch during conferences where it is not appropriate to use a phone to look at the time. And most of the time I need to know exact timestamps for things to happen. So yes, I do need precision, my watch is a tool for that
What do you mean you "disagree". You need your watch for time, he does not. You can't force your 19th century ways on others and no one is telling you not to like what you like.
Not sure what cave you live in to need lume anyway.
@@ORBITingAroundYou it's never appropriate to look at your watch when you can't look at your phone.
Came here triggered by the title, left in full agreement 😂
The way I audibly laughed out loud when you started with “some people were freaking out in the comments about my lume remarks” and then villain-heel-turned to “which got me thinking… what other kind of shit can I start today?” 😂 unreal stuff. Love this kind of content and most importantly, love seeing someone who grew up right down the road from me carving his own path. Keep it up!
Great video, Teddy. I think you've done a solid job of establishing yourself as one of the few UA-cam guy with opinions who is also fair in reviews. This "hot take" video is fun but I see the possibility of it degrading into a means for people to start arguing. I personally would love to see more videos like your visits to Glashutte, Oris, Grand Seiko, and Blancpain. I realize these are much more expensive to produce than you sitting in front of the camera, but those are really great work.
I have resisted getting a chronograph or a GMT since I wouldn't use those features much at all, yet it seems like all watch people have one or more of them. How often do chonograph owners actually use that function?
I use my chrono every damn day for work. I can see how many or most don't have a need for it though
I use my chronograph on my Heuer Monaco CaL11 all the time.
I use it when cooking because it’s right there and quick.
The only utility I get from my GMT watch is that when adjusting it, I know whether the date is going to change or not when I go past 12. 😀
I use my office gmt (CW)more than my traveller gmt (seiko)...I use it to track the local time of major sporting events around the world, also my daughter travels regularly, so its great for keeping track of her time zone..and I consider both types of GMTs as true..
Teddy, One of your best UA-cam videos ever. Most of the very best watches in my collection either have no lume or very little. A vintage Omega, a Tissot dress watch, a dressy Seiko, an older Mido GMT, and a Lip watch, still made in France. All these are my favorites and I really don't notice that the lume is missing.
I was team sapphire until I realized my only watch with a scratch is sapphire. I think the points made are why we have different watches. I do have one that is atomic synced, and I use that for work. But outside of work, day-to-day I wear a Seiko 5 that I only want to be roughly minute-accurate. This all amounts to right tool for the job concept.
OMG...such a matter of preference. Good takes on interesting topics. 1. I love sapphire with anti reflective coating. I had Hamiltons that were hard to read because of excessive reflectance. So make sure you have the coating. The clarity of sapphire is incredible and I dont have to deal with those darn scratches....ugh. Do you like to drive with a messy windshileld,?....same idea. 2. Lume is so cool. I'm in the dark at night watching TV and being able to read the time has value for me. 3. Accuracy...nice to have but if you change watches daily, you are resetting all the time. 4. I agree about casebacks. Don't really care. I'm not buying based on whether the watch has one or not. 5. Nice to have microadjustments, but I generally have no problems with bands. I have found $30 bracelets that seems really nice. 6. I really like the dates. Everyday I need to check the day. So convenient to be on the watch. Agree with the idea that daters dont have to be in a specific spot. 7. Yeah chronographs have modest utility and rarely. They are complicated to maintain the individual dials....some tricks that differ among different watches to reset them. For quartz, everytime you change the battery, you have to figure out how to rest them. And lots of people don't really know how to use them.
Thanks for cool video.
I agree wholeheartedly. Thanks Teddy for your honesty and bravery in stating these Hot Takes. Potential ruffled feathers be damned. Lol I too have been guilty of getting hung up on some of these must haves in the past. I'm at a stage now in my collecting that I can find that it's ok to let go of these barriers to entry for pieces that I may love otherwise. For example, half of my 10 piece collection are chronograph, but now I'm finding now that I prefer a less busy dial and less bulky case opting for a more comfortable watch and steering away from the chrono's for something less complicated. My current target is that I'm looking for a clean dial with large hands and numerals versus indices. A date window is not a dealbreaker either way. Here's another example of a watch that I really loved but I got hung up on symmetry....the Cartier Santos. I was so close to pulling the trigger until I noticed all of the slotted screws that are around the perimeter of the case and on the bracelet are in random directions and haphazard. Once I got that stuck in my head I decided this would drive me crazy wearing it. Maybe with a new perspective on some Hot Takes I might come back to that piece again. Thanks
Hot take - if someone really valued accuracy, they would go for a Quartz
Teddy you don’t need your watch to tell the time, you use your phone?! *gasp*!!! ! Noooo!!! 😮😮😮
It's like the only purpose of his channel is to shill his stores, eh?
A watch that would run +-30sec per day would drive me nuts,
A watch that runs fast is less annoying to correct than a slow watch, though. I just hack the seconds for as long as needed to correct it (and usually over-correct a bit).
Great video. I replayed segments several times to admire and appreciate some of the featured watches. I do value accuracy and will often wait to synchronize an automatic to the second before heading out for the day, so hacking is a feature I expect. Other times I won’t set it at all and just be happy I’ve reached the right aesthetic for tonight’s dinner. I’m starting to care a little less about self-winding movements. Love them, but never wear the same watch enough for it to matter long-term and the rotor can interfere with the beauty of the movement, when I get those rare moments to appreciate it. Exhibition case-back in a watch with a premium movement is usually a must have for me. There are always executions for the right watch! One last thought, while I’m usually indifferent to the placement of the date window, the placement of the date inside the hour sub-dial of that Navitimer, well that’s just scandalous!!! Lol 😂
I agree 💯 with you on the clasp, I am not a fan of quick adjust clasp, most of them are bulky.
Another hot take is when ppl wear their watch on the wrist bone. Like, it can't be comfortable to have the crown digging into your wrist everytime you bend your hand back.
And looking like a total dork
I totally agree. Never understood it. I like wearing a watch well below the bone.
@@tmonique11 Its like they don't know it can be sized. I seen one guy the other day and his watch soo loose it was swinging up half is arm. A terrible look
I can’t believe you said you don’t use watches for their utility. That is so sad
When a hobby/passion becomes a business, that's what happens!
I certainly do, I swing dance as a hobby and taking out my cell phone to tell the time just isn't practical. Plus, I get to wear a cool watch to match my vintage outfit, wearing a 20s watch to an art deco venue built in the 20s is the way to go!
Chill, guys. A watch, as the frames of your glasses it’s an accessory. If you are interested only in utility, your life will be fine with a Casio, as with acrylic frames. I change the watch and/or it’s strap according to what I’m wearing or where I’m going.
@@afuentesalburono one said “only” for utility. We are responding to Teddy is saying he doesn’t use watches for their utility. (No mention of the word “only”. It’s sad that he says he doesn’t use watches for their utility. Utility is a core feature.
I absolutely love this collection of "hot takes" Teddy. Where do I start?
Chrono's and timing; 100% agree. When my little one was born and we had to time feeds (because it was via syringe attached nose tube), I used the 24hr bezel on my Lorier Hyperion, specifically, the arrow marker at 0/24 to mark start time. When you are that sleep deprived, fiddling with a chronograph, let alone a phone timer, wasn't a option.
Speaking of the Hyperion, warmth of the crystal and a engravable casebacks were selling points to me for the reasons you spoke of. While I adore my Grand Seiko Sports GMT, for the first couple of months of ownership, I swore there was a thin plastic packaging layer still on the dial because of the oiling fingerprints it was picking up.
Lume I think, while not a deal breaker, can really be a integral part of the design. For watches that are monotone, it can really bring one to life. Utility-wise, I once again agree. It's super unreliable so I wouldn't be putting my life it's hands.
Accuracy I feel is on a perfect 1:1 scale with power reserve. The longer a watch can sustain itself, the more accuracy is important (or more so, noticeable). I'm so grateful that whenever I pickup my Grand Seiko Sports GMT, that it's 9F powered and always spot on. As a dad, sometimes I don't have time to f*** around so being able to slap it on the wrist and go and still have good time is very appreciated.
Teddy asked for it. My hot takes are on function and aesthetics.
1. Leather straps on dive watches. People go nuts over this, but personally I put leather straps on nearly every dive watch I own. I don’t dive, but snorkel occasionally. I do have a few watches that I keep the bracelets on however, I’ve got big hands and relatively small wrists so it’s really a challenge to get a bracelet to fit correctly. I find leather straps to be more comfortable than rubber or a NATO strap. Also, when you have colorful or interesting dials on a dive watch, a leather strap can really bring that out.
2. NATO straps. I absolutely love the idea of a NATO strap and how it functions. However, I think they are incredibly unsightly on my wrist. It’s too big and bulky and the symmetry is never right for me. And it’s too bad because there’s lots of really cool strap designs. I do like the French parachute elastic style band a lot I wear quite a few of those.
Excellent discussion Teddy! You gave me release from personal obsessions with accuracy, lume and crystals. I feel like I can enjoy these little marvels of beauty all the more. Thank you!
Great video! Having worn vintage mechanical watches since the 80s, I agree with these points. Sapphire crystals really didn't appear until the middle 80s, somehow we all managed to survive with acrylic! The same goes for the rest of these features, the watch companies have programmed us to believe we need all the extras, that way they can justify charging us extra for things we don't really need.
Of course, the date position is going to be a matter of taste. There's never going to be a configuration that pleases everyone. I generally dislike the date complication, but there are watches that look better with it. The date at 6 is cool, I need one of those! And my steel Seiko automatic from 80s has the usual day/date at 3, because tool watches are supposed to be that way.
Great outtakes. Date window placement argument cracks me up!! Your "my watch is a reference point" is tired and true. One thing I always remember being taught at Richemont was that most wearers reference "time left" within the hour, set schedule or day. For the most part your interaction with a watch is a exactly that - a reference, or a quick glance, and secondly - its how that reference made you feel that was just as important.
Thank you Teddy! I believe every watch enthusiast or people who likes watches in general should watch this video, just for a new perspective on how we look at, buy and live with watches. Especially nowadays where everything is so heavily spec focused.
Amazing video, keep up the good work!
Hello, which women's watch do you recommend between 3 thousand and 4 thousand dollars? Thanks
I love your take on accuracy! My own daily watch is a GS quartz and I love how accurate it can be, but most of the time what really matters personally is knowing the amount of effort and care put into the creation of the watch that makes it so accurate, rather than the accuracy itself. If I'm buying an affordable mechanical watch I most likely won't be thinking about accuracy as long as I don't need to adjust the time every few hours.
Agree with your about the preference to closed case backs.
For on the fly adjustments simply use a Bonklip style bracelet - Forstner Klip for example - as long as the watch head is not too massive.
I find a timing bezel extremely useful & often use one multiple times a day.
@TeddyBaldassarre great stuff!
I am a baby boomer, a master scuba diver, a retired law enforcement officer and an EMT. Medical professionals use their watches to check heart & respiratory rates and pulse for a reason. I have worn a watch all my adolescent/adult life to tell the time. A watch is a gentleman’s tool. Tools are for daily use. Art is for collecting. Use of a phone to tell the time is counter intuitive to me. It goes against the reason men started wearing wrist watches in the first place during World War I. I agree with you about tritium if lume is a must have in a watch. Otherwise I wear a Timex with Indiglo. Accuracy +/- 2 minutes per day is all I need. When I put my watch on in the morning, I hack it with my phone and wind it if it is one of my mechanicals. It takes one minute. If my day may require strap adjustment, wearing my watch over a jacket or a we/dry suit, I wear one of my watches with a NATO, a Zulu or even a velcro strap. Stainless bracelet for casual wear. Leather for dress. I have a dozen or so watches that cover me in all situations. None of them valued over $300 US.
On the clasp/micro-adjustment topic -- the hot take is we need more Bonklips! That system nailed it close to a century ago!
We like this kind of content from you because it feels like a format in which we can personally connect with you and agree or disagree on nit-picky things, like friends! Keep this content coming Teddy! (We also enjoy the other content as well :) )
Yes! I have been having thoughts about sapphire too! I generally like darker dials , with a sapphire on an affordable watch the dial will look blue-ish most of the angles (due to AR coating). I actually prefer the mineral glass on my citizen pro master or a new acrylic crystal on a vintage watch
Great point on watches - my own comparison: I have a Cartier Santos - absolutely beautiful watch, historic, but when I'm asked the time, my answer is "it's between 12 and 1, looks like about 12:30pm). One of my standard daily watches is my 25 year old Omega Seamaster, 600m, and when I'm asked the time I answer "It is 12:33pm... oh, nope, just became 12:34pm)" - as Teddy noted, is your goal just a perfect watch for you at your time of day, or making sure the trains are running on time. 🙂
And for clarity - I own a few dozen watches, my absolute favorite watch is the one I've decided I'm wearing that day.
Oh, and chrono's? Nope, too busy for me - the more complications, the harder it is to use, and to see. Bling worthy maybe, but I call it a "fool" versus a tool watch (sorry, not sorry)
Teddy, please keep adding your hottakes. My older generation never had problems with debate and disagreement and did not make it personal. IMHO, however, while I agree that sapphire is not always prescribed, I have it on both my last gen Moonwatch and white Moonwatch. There is nothing like seeing that polished and decorated movement. Without the 321, it’s not the same watch as the Apollo missions anyway. So, why deprive oneself of a classier and nicer Moonwatch? I am a diver, so lume matters, though I will rarely take such watches in the ocean with me. It’s nice to know that it has that feature. I do agree that every movement does not deserve an exhibition case back, such as the Miyota 9000 series. However, I would err on the side of having an exhibition caseback in a debatable situation. Keep the videos coming friend.
Dear Teddy, I enjoyed your rant enormously. A second part would be appreciated.
Enjoyable vid, Teddy. I readily admit to being a Type A person most of my life; my favorite semi-recent watch acquisition is the Casio Oceanus T200 -- and I still LOVE knowing the time is pert near exact. Over the past few years, I finally came into automatic watches (and semi-retirement) and find myself pretty relaxed with + 5-7 seconds a day.
Thanks Teddy. Always like listening to you. Only disagreement I have is around accuracy. Seems to me that if watches tell time, accuracy is an inherent aspect of its function and is a key differentiator. Thanks again and keep it up!
Loved this video and would love a part 2. It showed that you’re a pragmatic watch enthusiast who is purposeful with your own collection, and not willing just buy into the groupthink that dominates so many groups and social media posts. I don’t agree with all your takes, I personally love the look of lume, but if you’re authentic in your love of watches we should all have our own thoughts. Thanks for not just trying to make a buck in the industry, but instead using your voice to normalize differences in opinion.